You don't have to read my blog very long before you'll know how terribly irritated I get when an agent won't answer his phone, return emails or respond to texts. I'm moving at warp speed most of the time, so I really don't have time to chase self-important agents around. On top of that pet peeve, I have to include agents from out of the area who never respond to any attempts to contact them, including calls about purchase offers and questions about properties they have listed in this area.
Why someone hires an agent who is 100+ miles away from the area is a mystery, but I digress. My 
youngest son is in the process of buying his first home. He is on a limited budget and a limited time-frame, so any offer has to be responded to pretty quick. I finally found a nice home for him that meets all of his needs.
I called the out of the area listing agent. Nothing. I sent an email. Nothing. I sent a text. Nothing. My son had one day to look at the house before his work schedule made it nearly impossible, so I pulled out an old trick. I had my wife call and inquire as an interested buyer. The listing side answered the call immediately.
Once she received all of the information, the agent asked when she would like to see it. She told her she has an agent. Silence. She asked why her agent didn't make the call. She explained that I had, but no one would respond. She denied that anyone ignored the calls. "We always answer our phone!" Really, are you really going to go down that path? I keep a screen shot of my phone log on my phone that I've emailed to arrogant agents who make that defense. Don't go there.
Anyway, I called back in about 15 minutes and the alternate agent answered his phone. The listing agent still did not answer his. So much for "we always answer our phone." I was able to get my son into the home yesterday, he liked it and we wrote a contract. I submitted it yesterday. I followed up with a call to confirm it was received. No answer. I sent an email. No response. I sent a text. Nada.
Today, I went through the whole process again. Nothing. I called the broker and low and behold, she's the wife of the AWOL agent. Now what? She didn't answer either. Good grief! This has happened three times in a month. I do have a back up plan this time. I will go to the homeowner today at 5 pm and talk directly to her if I don't receive a response by then.
I threatened that last month and the agent called me in about an hour. My client didn't get the deal because the listing agent was working both sides, but the threat of showing up at the homeowners doorstep with a "full price / no contingencies offer" helped her find her voice. Let's see if this agent has the same reaction. This sale is a short sale, so I'm willing to go straight to the bank if necessary. To be continued . . .
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